


Caught My Eye

by Taitai83



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien never went to school AU, Aged Up, Getting out of a bad relationship, IDENTITY SHENANIGANS, Marinette is funny when she drinks, and Adrien is here for it, cameos by the rest of the gang - Freeform, eventual reveal I hope, seriously why does 'identity shenanigans' have to be in all caps?, the author doesn't know anymore than you do at this point, university aged
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:13:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25898776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taitai83/pseuds/Taitai83
Summary: Marinette is getting over a bad break up, and Alya takes her out dancing with her new boyfriend and his cute but awkward roommate. It's an eventful night, and Ladybug is feeling the effects as she spills all to her partner and best friend the next day.
Comments: 35
Kudos: 82





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a short and funny meet-cute one-shot in my head, but morphed into a slightly bigger thing that includes a bit of angst up front as well. It still won't be very long, maybe 5 short-to-medium length chapters. I want to do a reveal at the end but have no idea how I want to do it so throw some ideas at me and I'll see what lands.

“Ok, Alya, I think I’m ready.”

Marinette had to pull the phone away from her ear at the shriek her best friend let out.

_ “Girl, you serious?! Hell yes! I’m coming over right now! Where do you want to go? No, forget I asked, you’ll pick somewhere lame. I’ll ask Nino, he’ll know the place with the best music-” _

“Alya!” Marinette couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s Tuesday! I’m not going to a club TONIGHT, but… maybe this weekend?”

_ “Nope! I’ve waited too long! It doesn’t have to be a club, fine, but we’re going out tonight, we’ll go get a drink and just hang out if you want, but you’re putting on a dress and we’re going!” _

Marinette laughed again. It felt nice.

“I will wear jeans and a jacket and you’ll like it. If you really insist, I’ll wear lipstick, but I’m easing back into this.”

_ “Guess I’ll take what I can get. Meet me at Lulu’s at 9? I swear, I’ll come drag you out of the house in your pajamas if you try to stand me up!” _

“I’ll be there, Als. I promise. And… thanks.”

As she hung up the phone, Marinette glanced at herself in the mirror. She straightened her spine and pulled her shoulders back, letting out a breath. Ok. It had been 2 months and 14 days since Theo. She could do this. She was LADYBUG. She could do anything. She was ready.

“I  _ can _ do this... right Tikki?” 

Her voice wavered just a little bit and she hated it. She hated what she had become. She hated that she had LET herself get pulled under. If she and Chat could have- but no, there was no use in going down  _ that _ path. They couldn’t and they wouldn’t and they were best friends and partners and they had both accepted that.

Her little red companion gave her a gentle smile.

“Of course you can do this, Marinette,” Tikki answered, flitting up to nuzzle her cheek. “It’s what I’ve been trying to tell you for months. You can do anything!”

It was easier with a low-pressure place like Lulu’s. On a Tuesday. Just her best friend, some nice background music, and a pretty cute bartender. She HAD missed this. It felt good to laugh and smile with her friend, and Alya’s exuberance made her feel guilty for hiding out for so long.

After her second glass of wine, Marinette got a little emotional.

“Thanks for waiting for me, Alya.”

“Oh girl, I just wish I could have done more for you!”

Her friend pulled her into a fierce hug that made her slip off the bar stool. Marinette laughed and returned it, relishing the comfort of Alya’s warm strength.

“Nothing you could have done. I just needed to get past it.” She sniffled. “Remember my own worth.”

“He’s a total dick, and blind to boot. If Ladybug is the only one he wants, he can waste away waiting for her,” Alya declared fiercely. “Not like she’d even look twice at him.”

“You can say that again. It’s ironic, all things considered,” Marinette added under her breath.

“There’s my girl! So does this mean you’ll come dancing with me this weekend?”

Alya’s smile was so hopeful, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

“Yeeessss. I’m a little nervous about it. You’ll stick with me?”

“Of course! What kind of friend would I be if I ditched you?”

“The kind with a new boyfriend.” Marinette arched her eyebrow. “New-ish. He’s gonna come right? I feel bad about that too, he seemed really nice that time I met him, I just…”

“I know, girl. He knows too. I can ask him to come if you want?”

“Yeah,” Marinette smiled. “That’d be great.”

\---

“You’re coming.”

“It’s really not my thing.”

The words didn’t sound convincing even to him, but Adrien hoped Nino wouldn’t notice.

“You’re just saying that because you don’t know any better. You’re coming, bro.”

“I don’t like clubs.”

“You’ve never BEEN to a club.”

“I HAVE.”

“Those rave things Chloe dragged you to don’t count. A REAL club, with GOOD music. I know the DJ tonight, you’re coming.”

“I… have a lot of work.”

“Dude, it’s Saturday. Your excuses are just getting lamer and lamer. Come  _ on _ .”

“I don’t know, Nino,” he sighed.

“Ok dude, I’ll tell you what  _ I _ know. In the 2 months since you moved in here, you have not had one person over to visit and you have not gone out to one social event. You go to class and you come home. You spend half your evenings just locked in your room. You need to talk to SOMEONE who isn’t me. It’s not like your dad is going to come drag you back to his house from the dance floor at Rex.”

Adrien wavered. He couldn’t exactly tell Nino that he locked his door and then leapt out the window to gallivant across the rooftops in a black cat suit. Or that he had been doing it a lot more frequently since he moved in because something was  _ wrong _ with his partner and it seemed to be getting worse and not better and he hoped to be able to check up on her. It was just easier to pretend to be a social recluse, though the damage from his father’s upbringing meant he barely even  _ had _ to pretend. But tonight Nino would not be deterred, and he wasn’t sure if he was grateful or annoyed by that.

“I just… I really don’t feel like getting hit on all night.”

Nino considered him.

“Hmm, that’s fair, pretty boy former-model and all that. I’ll make you a deal. You come with me to this, and I’ll protect you from the hell-cats. I’ll pretend you’re my boyfriend if I need to.”

“What about your  _ girl _ friend?”

“Alya’s promised to pay 100% attention to Marinette, I’m going to need company anyway.”

“Which one is Marinette again?”

Adrien had heard Alya tell plenty of stories whenever she came over for the past few months, but as he hadn’t met many of the people they were about, he had a hard time keeping them straight. 

“The one whose jackass ex-boyfriend can go die in a fire.”

Adrien frowned.

“The ‘not inspiring enough for his art’ jackass ex-boyfriend?”

“Exactly. Marinette’s come up from her crushing depression and Alya’s ready to fold herself in half to keep her from going under again, so we’re all going dancing.”

Adrien still hesitated.

“Come on man, this is a win-win! I need you to come so I’m not a 3 rd wheel with Alya and her best friend, and you need to meet some real-live people. Alya’s friends are  _ nice.” _

Adrien dropped his head back onto the back of the sofa, recognizing a lost cause when he saw one.

“Fiiiiiine.”

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene was the original idea, inspired by Kellie Pickler's "Red High Heels" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5Ri8GY57SI

Marinette stared at her closet. Most of the dresses that she would have worn clubbing in the Before Times made her feel a bit uncomfortable now. She really didn’t want to attract too much attention, she just wanted to have a good time with her friends. 

Ok, ok she could do this. She was _Ladybug._

Even if that asshole couldn’t see it.

Frowning in determination, she stared at her dresses, and then she spotted it. A small smile formed on her face and she nodded to herself. That one.

She was confident in her choice, but couldn’t help but cringe as Alya’s expression fell a touch as she opened her door.

“Hey girl,” she began hesitantly. “Not that that dress isn’t gorgeous or anything-“

“Nope, this is what I’m wearing.”

“-It’s just, it seems more fitting for a fancy dinner than a night clubbing.” Alya gazed over the garment. “Are you sure you don’t want to wear something more eye-catching? Seeing how many guys, and girls for that matter, ogled you might get your confidence back up.”

“If this doesn’t catch their eye then their eye isn’t worth catching.”

Alya smiled.

“You practiced that line, but touché. I’ll take that attitude over any choice of clothing. What shoes?” 

Marinette grinned at her best friend.

“I’ve got just the thing.”

Adrien could admit that Nino was right. The music was solid and he even got to take a peek at the equipment behind the scenes. He wasn’t as enamored as Nino was, but it was still pretty cool to see the mechanics behind the magic. He also did really appreciate meeting Alya’s friends, who were, as Nino had promised, really nice.

But it was only about 30 minutes into the night when Nino had stepped aside to talk to the DJ. Adrien hadn’t really appreciated how much the proximity of his friend was shielding him until he was descended upon.

“Heeeeyyy handssome,” the blond in a very short skirt slurred. “Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?”

Before he could so much as unhook her nails from his shirt, he was abruptly hip checked backward by what appeared to be a waist-height pink fireball.

“Hiiiiiiiii! Donna, right?”

“N-no, my name is-“

“You know, Donna, Mr. Pretty boy here is _definitely_ not interested, and you don’t want to be wasting precious clubbing time on that now do you? So why don’t you set your sights on that one over there?”

The pink-haired girl none-too-subtly nudged the staggering girl in the direction of a guy getting a drink at the other end of the bar, and then turned to Adrien, who goggled down at her.

Before he could stammer his thanks, she smacked him in the stomach 

“Ugh, what was Nino _thinking,_ leaving you alone without protection? Look at you!” She reached up to smush his cheeks between her hands. “You’re like a wittle baby wamb out here among the wolves!”

“Uhh, thanks for the rescue…”

“Alix. Don’t worry, you’re not going to forget my name. I’ll look after you, princess.”

Adrien let out a surprised huff.

“Princess?”

“Definitely. C’mon, let’s get a drink and I can protect you until Nino gets back here. Well played, by the way, sticking so close to his side all night. Definitely creates enough doubt for all the vultures, easier to put them off.”

Adrien smiled, and relaxed a little bit as Alix grinned at him and flagged down the bartender. Yeah, this would actually be a fun night. 

One drink and two refused shots later, Alya finally showed up with three other women. Nino abandoned him again briefly to kiss his girlfriend hello, but Adrien hardly noticed, his attention entirely captured by the raven-haired girl glued to Alya’s hip.

In a sea of short skirts and plunging necklines, she was wearing a subtle maroon piece with a sheer black overlay that covered from her elbows to just above her knees and yet managed to be more sexy than any amount of skin could ever hope to be. As she pushed up on her toes to kiss Nino’s cheek, he spotted the little red ladybugs on the back of her classic black pumps.

 _Cute_.

He smiled as he briefly thought of his lady, but he wasn't left to his thoughts for long.

“Hey there Adrien!”

His reverie was abruptly interrupted by a smirking Alya, who gave him a full body hug in greeting. He was pleasantly surprised, until he realized she’d done that so she could hiss in his ear.

“I _saw_ that. I’ll have to give my girl credit, I asked her to wear something more sexy, but she insisted.” She pulled back so she could see his face, holding his arms tight to his side as she gave him a sly grin. “And _apparently_ she was right!”

Adrien felt himself blush.

“I just- I mean yeah, she-”

“Oh don’t worry, Sunshine, I’m not going to put you on the spot. C’mere I’ll introduce you.”

So Adrien Agreste met Marinette Dupain-Cheng, politely shaking her hand at the bar of one of the top nightclubs in Paris as the rest of the world swirled around them. If she furrowed her brow at his name, she was polite enough not to say anything. 

The girls didn’t stick around, as the whole point of the evening was for Alya to force Marinette into some fun, but they didn’t go far, twirling around each other on the dance floor. Adrien knew that Marinette had gone through some heartache, but the smile on her face seemed full and genuine. Not hard to imagine with a group of friends like this. A part of him was jealous of the bond they all had and hopeful that he could join in more often.

He _could_ admit that Nino was right.

Adrien couldn’t help the way his eyes were drawn to the dancing women rather more frequently than could be passed off as casual, and he caught Nino smirking at him more than once. He wasn’t tempted to go join them, though, as it was clear that they were here for a girls’ night and intrusion was unwanted.

As such, Adrien frowned a bit when a tall dark haired guy with a smarmy goatee approached their group, and that frown turned into a scowl when he placed his hand on Marinette’s hip specifically. He watched as her happy demeanor twisted into alarm and she pulled away, only for the creep to follow her, grabbing her wrist. She wrenched her arm out of his grasp and turned her back on him, and he responded by stroking his hand down her behind. 

Adrien immediately stood up and felt Nino do the same next to him, clearly having seen the whole thing as well, but before they could take one step towards the creep, Marinette whirled on him. Adrien watched in awe as she planted the heel of her hand up into his nose with a crunch that he could hear even over the beat of the music. As the man clutched at his face with one hand, he lashed out at the girl in front of him. Without missing a step, Marinette dodged his arm and used his momentum to fling him head first over her shoulder, landing hard on his back on the ground. He was still groaning when the bouncer caught up to them. After a brief word from Alya, the large man hauled the creep to his feet and pulled him bodily from the floor.

After watching them go, Adrien turned back to the dance floor to see Marinette was engulfed in Alya’s arms. After a few moments they pulled back, but Alya kept an arm over her friend’s shoulder as they made their way back to the bar. Nino caught her eye, but she shook her head silently as she waved at the bartender.

“Kim my friend, we need shots.”

‘Kim’ took one look at the locked jaw tension in Marinette’s face and got to work. Adrien turned back to Nino.

“She ok?”

“I think so. That was the asshole ex-boyfriend, so she might be a little upset, but I think Alya has it under control. Besides,” he continued with a smile creeping into his voice. “I bet it felt a little good to level his ass like that.”

“That was one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen, I’ve gotta say. And she did it in heels,” Adrien agreed, glancing back at the pair as they downed their first round. “Think she _will_ be ok?”

Nino gave him a wry smile.

“Yeah man, I don’t know Marinette very well, but I know Alya. She’s going to be just fine.”

A short while later, the girls WERE doing just fine. Marinette was definitely laughing again, as the bartender seemed to know her sense of humor and managed to crack just the right joke every time he brought them a drink. Adrien forced down the little pang of jealousy as he tried to get Kim’s attention himself. He was being ridiculous, of course her friends knew how to cheer her up.

As he was waiting for his drink, Alya got his attention.

“Hey Sunshine,” she greeted using the nickname she’d given him the first time they’d met and now seemed to be solidified. Adrien liked it, it made him feel included, which he suspected she knew. “I need to have a little chat with Nino for a sec, can you keep my girl company for a few minutes?”

“Oh, uh, I- sure! Of course, I just-“

“Thanks! Be back in a few!”

Adrien watched her seize Nino’s arm and march him firmly away, even as he looked back over his shoulder in confusion. 

Adrien turned his attention back to Marinette, and was struck again by how beautiful she was, even frowning after her friend. He slid his glass over towards her as he claimed Alya’s vacated seat, and was rewarded by the sight of her bright blue eyes focusing on him.

“Alya asked you to babysit me, huh?”

“Uh..” he stammered, taken aback by her bluntness.

“It’s ok, it’s fair,” she sighed, taking another sip of her drink. Not a shot this time, he noted, and Adrien hoped it wasn’t too strong.

“So, how long-“

“Hey there gorgeous, have I seen you somewhere before?”

Adrien cursed in his head, even as he managed a polite grimace towards the woman stroking his shoulder. Couldn’t they come up with novel pick-up lines at least?

Before he could respond, Marinette let out a groan.

“Not this again. Yes, you’ve seen him before. His picture used to be plastered all over Paris. Satisfied? We were having a conversation.”

Adrien noted that she HAD recognized him before, but the fleeting thought was driven from his head by the glare the brunette was leveling at the woman. Adrien blinked as he saw his lady staring down an akuma, and apparently the intruder thought so too, because she retreated without acknowledging the comment.

Adrien squeezed his eyes to clear his vision and Marinette had taken Ladybug’s place again. Perhaps he should switch to water now.

“Thanks,” he said, as she turned back towards him. “Apparently _you’re_ babysitting _me_.”

Marinette let out a small chuckle, and Adrien took the win.

“I suppose.” She hiccuped a little and took another sip of her drink. “So you’re Nino’s roommate. Did he drag you here?”

“Yeah, but it’s nice to meet some fun people. I think Alix has adopted me as a hopeless case in need of social rehabilitation, and- what?”

Marinette was squinting at him, and he wasn’t entirely sure it was all due to the alcohol.

“You’re so pretty I can’t look directly at you.”

Adrien stared, but before he could respond to such a pronouncement, she continued.

“Why do you wear your face like that?”

“Why do I-? What?”

“Your face. Why do you wear it like a mask? I can’t see you properly, it’s throwing me off.”

Adrien blinked at her in surprise, and she brightened for a moment.

“Oh that’s better! There- no, now it’s gone.”

She turned morosely back to her drink, and all Adrien could do was stare. 

“Wh-what did you mean by that?” he asked.

“I can’t get a read on you when you do that thing with your face,” she glanced at him, and then turned fully to level that terrifying glare at him directly. 

“I can’t do anything about it now because I’m _very_ drunk, but the next time I see you I want to see your _real_ face. Under the mask. Got it?”

She pointed a finger in his face in emphasis and he could do nothing but nod, absently touching his brow bone to make sure yes, he WAS Adrien right now and not Chat Noir. The fire in her eyes was so much like Ladybug that he didn’t hesitate to acquiesce.

“At your service, my lady,” he gave a little bow, and she rolled her eyes.

“Please, with lines like that you-“

“Everything ok over here? Marinette, you look like you’re about to take Adrien out, what’d he do?”

Adrien was grateful for Alya’s reappearance. He let himself get caught off guard, and he couldn’t afford to go around acting like Chat in public. Marinette was definitely a force to be reckoned with, and he surprised himself by how eager he was to do that reckoning. Better to regroup and be more prepared the next time he met her.

“Thanks for the save before, Marinette, I’ll leave you girls to it.”

He relinquished Alya’s seat and retreated to Nino, but didn’t stay much longer. He had patrol and recon with Ladybug in the morning and he was a bit concerned by how intriguing he found Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos to the incomparable Lin-Manuel Miranda for my favorite line https://twitter.com/Lin_Manuel/status/739820947532812288?s=20


	3. Chapter 3

Ladybug sat against the brick of the chimney with her head buried in her arms and regretted all her life choices. Her head was throbbing and her tongue still tasted like ash, despite brushing her teeth twice this morning. She was hungry but the idea of food had made her even more queasy, so she hadn’t been able to eat more than one piece of toast before coming out here. She should really just text Chat and go home, but he was about the only thing that had kept her going the past few months and the idea of blowing him off felt worse than forcing herself out of bed this morning.

She was going to kill Alya. Or Kim. Maybe both, she couldn’t quite remember whose fault the “three good men” shots were. 

As it was, she was definitely not going to be drinking for a long time.

And then she thought about how the night had gone and wanted to drown herself in Jose Cuervo.

She was so  _ embarrassed _ . It was bad enough that jackass had shown up (though she did give herself credit for being at the stage where she recognized what a jackass he WAS), but then she’d gotten stupidly drunk and humiliated herself in front of Nino’s smoking hot former-model roommate. The evening itself was a bit of a blur, but there was no ambiguity about the text Alya had sent her this morning.

She let out a groan that was equal parts nausea and frustration.

“Well good morning to you too!”

“You’re late,” she huffed irritably in response. She raised her head to glare at him and found an inviting paper cup occupying most of her frame of vision. Blinking in the bright light, she took it from her partner’s hand and savored the warmth on her fingers.

“Thanks,” she muttered grudgingly, as Chat Noir sat down beside her with his own coffee, giving her a pat on the knee and that soft smile of his that changed his devastatingly handsome face into something more akin to a kitten. It really wasn’t fair how cute he was. And that she wasn’t allowed to think that.

“I WAS on time, but I saw the state you were in as I approached and made a quick detour. You don’t look like you’re up for swinging wildly around the city.”

Her stomach heaved a bit at the thought.

“No, good call.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Not much to say, I got stupidly drunk on brown alcohol, I deserve this.”

There was a beat before Chat asked,

“Drunk like partying at a bachelorette party, or drunk like drinking from the bottle in your pajamas?”

She huffed a small laugh, laying her head sideways on her arm to face him.

“The former, sort of. Not a bachelorette party, but I went out dancing with my friends.”

Looking at him as she was, she didn’t miss the sharp intake of breath as a watery smile appeared on his face.

“Thats- well. That’s awesome bugaboo,” he said, his voice cracking a little bit. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s a relief to see you looking so miserable as a consequence of something  _ fun _ .”

Ladybug grimaced. She knew she wasn’t the best actress, but she didn’t realize she’d been so obvious in her distress.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I probably owe you an explanation.”

“You don’t have to, Bug. I’m just happy to see you getting back to your old self. Well,” he added with a smile. “Sort of. Your old self wasn’t quite so green.”

“I look forward to the day I get to see you hungover,” she muttered. “No, I want to. You’ve been like my only rock in the past few months and I want you to know.”

She felt him thread his fingers through hers as they sat side by side, his claws gently brushing the back of her hand. She squeezed in return.

“I started dating this guy,” she began, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. She didn’t want to hurt him, but they both knew they couldn’t have what they really wanted with each other. He didn’t show any signs of agitation, however, so she continued.

“He seemed like a great fit. He was a TA in one of my classes before, so we had a lot in common. He was really nice and seemed to really like me. With all the celebrity ‘love’ that Ladybug gets, it was nice to feel like someone liked  _ me _ . And then I learned that he was really inspired by Ladybug too, so it was doubly nice, to feel like he really saw both sides of me, even if he didn’t realize I was the same person.”

She paused to take a sip of her coffee and appreciated that Chat knew how much sugar she liked, letting the sweet creamy liquid wash the bad taste out of her mouth. 

“So it was all well and good for like 5 months, and then something changed. It was super subtle at first, I didn’t even notice, but of course now looking back I can see what was going on. Little comments like ‘was I really going to wear my hair like that?’ ‘was I sure I wanted to eat that cookie?’ Nothing  _ super _ jerky but enough to make me doubt myself.” She felt Chat bristle next to her and knew if she could bring herself to look at him his lip would be curled up over his fangs. She couldn’t look. Instead, she took a steadying breath.

“Anyway, I don’t want to drag this out, that kept up for a while, the comments becoming steadily more cutting, undermining everything I did, until finally he broke up with me with a really dismissive speech.” Ladybug felt tears welling up in her eyes and brushed them away in frustration. She was  _ done _ with Theo. 

“The part that sucked the most was that he was still basically in love with Ladybug, so it felt like the  _ real _ side of Ma- of  _ me _ was just as worthless as my teenage self had always feared.” She felt Chat bristle again beside her and cut him off before he could protest. “I know, Kitty. I know I’m not. But it took a long time to shake off the gloom he’d put me under in order to see that. I couldn’t have done it without Tikki and my best friend, and definitely not without  _ you _ , even though you probably didn’t know you were helping.”

“I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know how to help without asking too many questions. I’m so sorry, Bug. I should have done more.”

“No, I would just have brushed you off. Just knowing that you  _ actually _ know me, not just the Ladybug that everyone else loves, that was enough.”

“You know I’ll always be here for you, little bug.”

“I know, kitty cat.”

_ It would be so much easier if I could just have you. _

She swallowed back the words before she could hurt both of them, but she wondered if he could almost hear them anyway.

Chat gave her hand a squeeze and there was quiet for a moment between them.

“So,” he said with the forced lightness of someone trying to change the subject. “You didn’t get to the part where you look like you want to barf in that flower pot. I want to hear the rest of the recovery that leads to you getting plastered!”

It worked.

“Ugh, shut up! I finally went out with my girlfriends last night, to have a good time! I was a terrible friend for like the last 6 months, and this was the start of me being better for them. So we went dancing.” Ladybug leaned her head back against the wall and let a wry little smile form on her lips. “What triggered all the bad choices, though-  _ Apparently _ Th- my ex boyfriend was at the same club last night, and  _ apparently _ the outfit I was wearing WAS inspiring enough for him, the smug bastard. So he tried to hit on me; ‘we’re so good together baby’,” she imitated, dropping her voice low in mockery. “I told him to get lost, and he said ‘don’t be like that’ and he grabbed my ass, so I laid him out on the floor with a bloody nose.”

Chat started laughing.

“My  _ Lady! _ ” he chided in amusement. “Knocking out civilians now?”

“My self-defence reflexes are PRETTY sharp and he totally deserved it.”

“No argument from me! But that still doesn’t explain the hangover.”

“Oh, well, despite the rather satisfying take down, it still shook me up, so my best friend convinced me not to bail on the night by starting a round of shots. It was all downhill from there.”

“I would pay money to see you drunk, LB.”

“Ughh! No! I’m so  _ embarrassing _ when I’m drunk! I met my friend’s boyfriend’s roommate for the first time last night and I totally humiliated myself in front of him!”

“It can’t have been that bad.”

“No, it was. I had no filter. I asked him- well I can’t give details, but let’s just say that he’s really cute and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look him in the eye again.”

“What, did you tell him you want to climb him like a tree or something?”

“Not that bad but close enough” she mumbled into her arms again.

“If it makes you feel better, if it were me I would have been delighted.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“Nope. I had a pretty good night last night myself, and I’ll tell you from the other side. A gorgeous girl flipped some jerk over her shoulder and then told me I was pretty. I about proposed on the spot.”

“You  _ are _ pretty, kitty,” Ladybug teased. “I didn’t take you for the shallow type, falling for a girl just because she thinks you’re hot.”

“It- it’s not that, she- wait a minute, we were talking about you, not me!”

Ladybug laughed.

“Darn it, so close! Well, that’s pretty much the end of the story anyway. Too long, didn’t read: I punched out my ex boyfriend, got drunk on whisky to forget about it, and slurred backhanded compliments at a really hot guy that I’m probably, definitely, going to come across again so I’ll have to apologize. And here we are.”

They were quiet for a few more moments.

“I’m really glad you knocked his ass out,” Chat said after a short while.

“Me too,” she smiled. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore, can we go back to the girl you almost proposed to?”

Chat chuckled.

“Not much to tell. I was out with my roommate and a bunch of his crew, and she was kind of on the periphery doing her own thing with her friends. Aaaabsolutely gorgeous, I’d noticed her immediately when she came in, but I kinda suck at social interaction and she didn’t seem to want to meet new people. I didn’t quite catch the whole thing with the jerk she dropped, but he was obviously at fault and the bouncers hauled him out. It was just  _ so  _ impressive because he was like a full foot taller than her and she was wearing stilettos to boot. I swear, my heart was all aflutter!”

Chat mimed fanning himself and Ladybug smiled. It was nice to see him talk openly like this.

“Get to the part where she called you pretty. I like to hear my kitty get compliments.”

“Well that’s the thing, it wasn’t even a compliment.”

Ladybug arched her eyebrow at him in question and he smiled.

“Her friend got her to babysit me while she talked to my roommate, and she was a bit drunk so she was like, brutally honest.” Chat smiled fondly, his eyes twinkling. “She made a comment about my looks but like... like it was a bad thing.”

“You seem… happy about that?”

“It’s hard to explain. I- not to sound cocky or anything, but I know I’m a pretty good looking guy. It was like she saw PAST that. I was trying to be polite and she asked me what was wrong with my face.”

“She did NOT!”

“I swear to god she did. And it was AWESOME! It’s like you said, it felt like she saw  _ ME _ . No one has ever said anything like that to me before.” Chat nudged her with his shoulder. “So just think about that if you’re embarrassed about whatever you said to your guy. Maybe he thinks it was awesome too.”

“He's not 'my guy', but I’ll keep that in mind,” she muttered into her arms.

“Hey, c’mere,” Chat reached for her and she let herself lean into his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her. “I’m glad you’re happy again, Bug. You’re amazing, and the girl behind the mask has to be amazing to make you so amazing, and I’ll remind you anytime you need me to, ok?”

“Thanks, Chat,” Ladybug muttered. “I’m so lucky to have you as my partner.”

“I’m your friend first, you know that right?”

She gave him a squeeze, letting the small pang the word  _ friend _ triggered slide off her. 

“I know, kitty. You’re my  _ best _ friend.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this was going to be a simple no-powers au or something, because the scene in the nightclub didn't require secret identities at all, but then I couldn't get the image of hungover Ladybug out of my head and now here we are, knee deep in mutual pining.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly picking up the threads of my WsIP...

“Dude, you have got to chill out.”

Adrien paused in picking lint off the sofa cushion, glancing up at Nino like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Nino grinned in amusement as he dropped several bags of chips on the kitchen counter.

“It’s a game night. There’s going to be feet on the couch, crumbs on the rug, and I guarantee you someone will spill something within 5 minutes of starting Mecha Strike IV. The couch cushion does NOT need to be free of dust bunnies.”

Adrien looked at the little pile of cloth pills he was holding in his hand and felt silly. But he couldn’t stop himself from fidgeting. He wasn’t used to hosting people he actually LIKED.

“Look man, just… just be yourself. You’re a nice guy, a  _ cool _ guy, if you can believe that, and most of them already like you just fine. Just… stop trying so hard?”

Adrien smirked to himself as he thought about what Marinette had said to him at the bar.

“Stop wearing my face like this?”

“YES! Stop wearing your face like that!” Nino laughed. “But seriously, don’t say that to Marinette, she’s still super embarrassed.”

“I won’t, but I still think it was one of the greatest things anyone has ever said to me.”

“Maybe say THAT to her. It might make her feel better,” Nino added, pulling the milk out of the fridge to make room for the beers.

“How many people are COMING tonight?” Adrien asked, incredulous.

“Only about 5, but one of them is Kim, so you know…”

“Kim the bartender from the club?”

“That’s the one.”

“Ok yeah that’s fair,” Adrien conceded as he remembered the outgoing man who didn’t turn down a shot all night. “Uhh… do we have enough food then?”

“Don’t worry about it bro, we’ll order some pizzas if we feel like it,” Nino replied, still moving things around in the fridge.

“But… isn’t that rude? Not having food ready?”

“Dude, seriously,” Nino straightened and shot him an exasperated look. “We are not  _ hosting  _ a  _ soiree _ . It’s game night, it’s chill. Everyone is chill. So CHILL!”

Adrien tried to chill, he really did, but he was full of nervous energy. He was having FRIENDS over! Granted they were mainly Nino’s friends, but he liked to think they could be his too. Alix in particular had seemed eager to take him under her wing.

He bolted out of his seat when the first knock sounded at the door, and Nino asked him if he’d like to bow to their guest as said guest, apparently named Max, looked quizzically between them.

Max and Adrien set up playing one of the lesser known games that Adrien had in his collection and were just starting to get into the deeper levels when Kim and Alix arrived together. 

“Hey Princess!” Alix greeted Adrien with a big hug, making him an easy target for Max’s minion soldiers. She laughed at his cry of dismay and high-fived Max, who never took his eyes off the screen.

“Princess?” Adrien asked, remembering the odd nickname she’d called him at the club.

“For sure. You’re the fairest in the land, you’ve run away from your golden tower to find out how the common folk live, and you’re searching for true love. You’re obviously a Disney princess. I half expect you to talk to woodland creatures or have hidden magical powers.”

Adrien choked slightly on his beer, but tried to cover it with a laugh. Alix gave him a wink, but didn’t say anything further.

Adrien gave up his controller to Kim after Max had wiped out his entire battalion, and spent a few minutes trying to ignore how Alix kept smirking at him when she thought he couldn’t see. It unnerved him, though he couldn’t place why. He was grateful for the distraction of a commotion at the door, and over his shoulder saw Alya hauling Nino down for a kiss. When they didn’t break apart after a moment, an exasperated looking Marinette pushed them aside so she could get into the apartment.

Adrien leapt to his feet and was halfway across the room before he remembered he needed to “chill”.

As he approached, Alya did pull away from Nino to give him a giant smile and a hug after la bise. He turned to greet Marinette and was disappointed to see she was turned away from him, fussing with the bakery box.

“Hey, glad you could come,” he said, hovering uncertainly over her shoulder, trying to decide whether he should attempt la bise with her as well from this awkward angle. 

“Oh yes! Thank you! It’s great!” Marinette exclaimed without looking at him, still rearranging the pastries. That decided him against a proper greeting, and he stuffed his hands awkwardly in his pockets.

That proved to be a mistake, as he wasn’t able to catch himself when he was hip checked sideways into his refrigerator as Alya spun Marinette around.

“Now look M, you scared him!” she teased, reaching up to smush her friend’s cheeks together in a ridiculous guppy face. “Say HI! He looks like you kicked his puppy, the poor boy just wants to be friends!”

“Alya!” Marinette exclaimed, fighting her off. “I was… getting there!”

“Well get there faster! This is a party, the sooner you get over your unnecessary embarrassment the sooner we can all get drunk and have some fun!” Alya planted a big kiss on Marinette’s cheek, threw Adrien a smirk, and sauntered off.

Adrien glanced at Marinette who was flushed pink and avoiding his eye. He cleared his throat.

“Uh, s-sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

She looked up at him.

“You didn’t! Me make unfomtable! I mean-” she waved her hands around her face in distress. “I mean, you didn’t make me uncomfortable! I just- I was-!”

Adrien stepped back, not wanting to encroach on her space any further, and that stopped her flailing as she frowned at him.

“Wow you really do look like I kicked your puppy. I mean-!” she clapped her hands over her mouth. “Oh my god I’m so sorry. I can’t seem to filter my mouth around you. This is so humiliating.”

Adrien blinked at her, uncertain what he should do.

“J-just so you know... I mean- Nino told me you were really embarrassed about what you said to me at the club, but just so you know, it was seriously like the best thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“You’re just saying that,” she muttered, looking away again.

“No really! No one ever actually  _ sees _ me… like ME me, you know? It was really refreshing.”

She blinked at him in her turn. 

“One of my friends said more or less the same thing when I told him about it,” she said tentatively.

Adrien grinned. “See? It’s not just me saying it. I really did appreciate it. Please don’t be embarrassed, it was fine, great even.”

Marinette took a deep breath, and extended her hand. “Ok. Can we start over then? Hi, I’m Marinette and I’m an awkward weirdo.”

His grin softened into a real smile as he took her hand in his. “I’m not sure about that, but I’m very pleased to meet you. I’m Adrien.”

“It’s nice to see your real face at least,” she teased with a small grin. “Well, Adrien, how are you at video games?” 

Marinette turned and strode off to the living room. Adrien heard a collective groan go up as she called next player, and within 10 minutes he understood why. There wasn’t even any point in playing against her. After she had crushed everyone in their turn, Max suggested teaming up for online play. To everyone’s surprise, Adrien proved even better than Max at partnering her, and after a while the others took to cheering them on rather than trying to get in on the game themselves.

“Not bad Agreste,” Marinette teased after he took out the sniper that had been gunning for her. “Keep it up and you’re hired.”

“At your service ma’am,” he responded, his tongue between his teeth as he concentrated on the screen.

“How long are you guys going to play this one?” Kim asked, looking for another beer.

“Until we lose!” Marinette responded, high fiving Adrien without looking at him while they burst through the final line of enemies towards the target.

Sometime later, Marinette stretched her arms above her head and loosened her neck. She paused and looked around, causing Adrien to look up too.

“Where is everyone?”

Adrien stood up and saw Kim solidly asleep on the couch with Alix half lying across his legs. There was no sign of Max, and Nino’s firmly shut door gave a good indication of where he and Alya were.

“I guess we’re the last ones standing,” Adrien quipped.

“This has literally never happened to me,” Marinette replied, and then immediately yawned. “I should get going.”

Adrien glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned.

“Are you sure? It’s super late. You should probably just stay… or something. You can have my room, I’ll sleep... ”

He gestured towards the living room, where Kim and Alix were obviously occupying the only reasonable sleeping surface. He saw Marinette grimace.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t, but thanks.”

“Well, Alya’s obviously not going anywhere, how are you getting home?”

“Oh, I’ll… take the metro.”

“What? At this time? No way, I don’t think it even runs later than 2:30, and anyway it’s not safe.”

“It’s fine, if I miss the last train I’ll just walk, it’s not that far.”

Adrien eyed her skeptically.

“Where are you headed, exactly?”

“Rue -”

Adrien’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

“Ok that’s at least a 30 minute walk.”

“I’m a fast walker.”

“No way, if you really won’t stay here, at least I’m going to walk you home.”

It was her turn to arch her brows at him.

“But then you’d have to get  _ back _ , that’s ridiculous. It's not safe for  _ you _ to be walking around by yourself either.”

“So you agree it isn't safe,” he retorted, enjoying the way she opened her mouth to protest but couldn’t find a good argument. “I’m not letting you go alone, so you can either stay here, take my bed while I sleep out here, or I’m going to get my coat.”

She frowned at him.

“I feel like this is entrapment.”

He smirked at that. “How so?!”

“It would be so unfair for you to have to go and come all the way back!”

“Guess you’ll have to make do with my extremely comfortable bed, then,” he grinned at her.

She was clearly still put out, but followed him to his room nonetheless.

“Let me just grab a few things, then it’s all yours,” he said, snagging one of the pillows off his bed but leaving the other. “The bathroom is right next door, there’s an extra blanket in the top of the closet if you need it, and uh… I think that’s it?”

“Not worried that I’m going to snoop in your nightstand?” Marinette asked teasingly, and he was glad to hear the change in her tone.

“I trust you. Nothing interesting to find anyway,” he answered with a wink. “I’ll just be out in the living room if you need anything.”

“Ok,” she replied, already slipping her shoes off. “Thanks.”

Adrien smiled, relieved that she was accepting, and went to make himself a nest on the living room floor.

The snippets of language came through Adrien’s dreams.

_ “...Shhh! Come...  _

_ “...Whazza? Huh?” _

_ “...Shh! Get u…” _

_ “...Coming, geez…” _

_ “Shhh!” _

Some shuffling and then finally quiet, and deep sleep overtook him again.

The sunlight streaming through the opened curtains directly into his eye finally forced him awake sometime later. He blinked angrily at the uncaring window before realizing that he was in his living room, and then remembering why. He sat up and looked around the silent apartment, noting the empty couch and, beyond it, the open door to Nino’s clearly empty room. Swallowing his disappointment that his first sleepover had ended without him, he sat up and stretched. Despite some cat tendencies seeping into his human form, sleeping curled on the floor all night was NOT actually comfortable. 

Wiping the sleep from his eyes he stumbled a little bit as he made his way down the hall to his room, leaning into the ajar door a little more heavily than he intended, only to be brought up short by the expanse of pale skin and black hair occupying the far side of the bed.

Marinette was still solidly asleep, lying on her stomach with her mouth slightly open and her arms around the pillow. HIS pillow. The strap of her camisole had slipped off her shoulder, calling his attention to the soft rise and fall of her back as she breathed.

Adrien stared at her for several moments before he realized how creepy that was and quietly backed out of the room. Leaning against the wall in the hallway, he took a deep breath. Then he smiled.

He was going to kill Nino. Or more likely Alya. This was almost certainly her doing.

He turned around to make a pot of coffee.

It was almost 10am before Marinette emerged, and by then Adrien had already dumped the first pot of coffee and made another. 

“Where is everyone?”

Adrien looked up from his phone and felt his heart flutter at her adorable sleepy bedhead and confused expression.

“Uh, no one else is here. I suspect Alya is playing matchmaker.”

He was gratified to see that no trace of her original embarrassment from the previous night reemerged. Instead she rolled her eyes and helped herself to a mug from the cupboard for coffee.

“Figures. I should have known when she vanished on me last night. I hope you don’t mind?”

“No, I think it’s funny. She doesn’t think she’s being subtle does she?”

“Oh, no, she’s very proud of how brazen she is,” Marinette stated flatly as she took the stool next to Adrien at the counter. “She flat out told me that she was going to try to set us up.”

Adrien coughed just a little bit and gave her a questioning look.

“You didn’t try to stop her?”

Marinette shrugged.

“If she were actually trying to be sneaky I might call her on it. As it is, well, we’re both sitting here joking about it, so it’s kind of a moot point.”

“Well, how about we joke about it a little more, say over breakfast? Err… brunch?”

Marinette gave me an amused grin over her coffee cup.

“Make it lunch, I need a shower and my toothbrush before I go out in public-public.”

“So you’ll let me walk you home now?”

Her smile softened.

“I’d love that.”

  
  



End file.
